Finger-training device



Patented July 18, 1922.

. INVENTOR W|Iliom SchmiT-Movcel BH K J m5 HTTORNEY,

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FINGER TRAINING DEVICE.

v APPLICATION FILED MAR. Il 192|. ,42,q353

lnGulrE STATES WILLIAM SGHMITTe'MA'RCEL, 'OF-FLORENCE, ITALY.

r FINGER-TRAINING DEVICE.

To all 107mm t may cancelar.'

Be it known that l, DRVILLIAM Sorrirrrn MARCEL, a citizen of the United States, residingat Florence, iltaly, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsy in Finger-Training Devices (for which I have iled an application in. Germany, Man 20, 1919) and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full,fclear, and eX-act ,description of the in- ;vention, such, as will enable othersskilled in the art` .tof-which. it appertainstov make;and

use the same.

My-invention relates to improvements in linger training `devices intended forfstudents of vmusic and the object of my invention is to tr.provide Ia y new construction in which certain disadvantages heretofore impedingthe `utility of the devices of the class referred to,

as made heretofore, areavoided and certain advantages attained, all as hereinbelow described y and set` forth.

In describing my said invention l refer to the drawing herewith` in lwhich Figure. l is alongitudinal vertical section `through a construction in, which the characteristic, features ofmy inventiom as herein below specified, are made use of; Figure Qais a view of the said construction from above and Figure 3 is a detail view of a certainwpart of the said construction hereinafter'more specically described and referred to.

Keyed finger-trainers for the attainment of a greater mobility and of an increased muscular strength of the fingers have been designed and made in which the movement of the keys, adjustable with respect to throw and rhythm, is regulated and effectuated by means of cams or eccentric wheels actuating a double-armed lever mechanism. However, the adjustment of these devices for the several lengths of key-lifts and various rhythms is inconvenient and takes much time.

It is the object of my present invention to do away with this disadvantage and to provide instead thereof an easy and speedy adjustment of the positions of the parts herein referred to to any throw and to various rhythms of the movements of the keys.

Accordingly the cam wheels or eccentric wheels acting by their movements upon the keys are so disposed that they move commonly in longitudinal direction above or beneath double-armed connecting levers and that they allow changes of position relative to each other on a common moving-member, so that all that is required for the attain- Speccation of Letters Patent.,

`Application filed March 11, 1921.

PatentedJuly 18, i922.

serial No. 451,659.

`ment of. any desired length of the stroke or throwisto adjust the support of the cam wheels in longitudinaldirection. of the connecting levers, a .similar simplean'dfplain i movementeffectuating the change ,of the positions tol each other ofthe said cam or ec- ,.centric/wheels, and thus,anyanoditication in the rhythm of movements.

`i,Xn-apparatus in which for the strengthen- :ngofl vthemuscular forceoffthe fingers itis intended to counteractby theiroperation the upward ymovement. Jofthe keys through the .actiontof eccentric ,or calm.fwhee ls, is'y illustrated. on the drawing which shows acOn struction that ,comprises a boxer case a con- -itaining aplur'ali-ty, say four, raisable and lowerablekeys Z), c, d, e, ,fori4 thesmallfinger, the ring-finger, the middle `vfinger"and the forefiinger. The `raising ,ofi these keys may` be veffectuated from anypowersource -by `meansof camor eccentricwheels fmount' ed on`y a. common shaftvg, connectible with the A said i powerfsource l' and acting against doublefarmed levers 7L which maybe at- .tachedto the severalfkeys b, ad, c in any suitable way, the ;drawi ngshowing their engagement yin slots Zin thefsaidkeys. The

cam-wheels 7 `thu-s serve to raisethe keys,

which are, thenheld in, their elevated ,positions by compression springsv z', the latter however being incapable of raising the keys by themselves. The operator depresses the various keys against the action of springs z' substantially as in the case of ordinary piano keys.

To permit of a simple and convenient adjustment of the apparatus to various heights of the throw of a key the shaft g is movable longitudinally of the levers 71,. This may be accomplished in various ways. In the eX- ample of construction shown on the drawing the shaft g is in a bearing in the lower side of a frame q which slides in guides r, being adjustable therein by any suitable means, as, for instance, winged screws s. In this way the shaft g may be brought into the dotted position g (Figure 1) or into any other position therebetween and therewith the length of the stroke of the keys adjusted and controlled. To permit the adjustment of the instrument to a variety of rhythms the cams f may be supported on their shaft g changeable in their positions relative to each other which may also be accomplished in various ways. Thus the cams f may, as shown in a detail view in Figure 3 be mounted loosely on the shaft g engaging each With a lateral nave m in a cup n of the shaft and being'adjustable therein by means of a screw Q9. To facilitate the adjustment of the naves m, the cams f may be provided with recesses 0 for better securing the screws p.

To permit access to and thus render convenient the adjustment of the cams or ec` centrics f upon their shaft the case a may above the said eccentrics f be provided with a lid t'. In Figure 2 this lid has been taken off to showt7 the inside of the box.

The keys Z), c, d, e I prefer, as shown in Figure 2, to dispose in their position to each other in a `curve which corresponds to the curve of the ngers when conveniently placed upon any support such as a. As the size of this curve depends on the size of the hand and the length of the fingers of the student, the two middle keys o, Z may on their respective key-pins 7c be made adjustable parallel to the length axis of the le vers 7L.

Changes may be made in details of construction Without deviating from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:-

1. A finger training device, comprising movable keys, pivoted levers for actuating said keys, a shafty having a cup concentric with and encircling said shaft, and a cam for operating said levers, said cam having a hub adjustably receivable in said cup.

2. A finger training device, comprising movable keys, pivoted levers for actuating said keys, a shaft extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said levers, a plurality of cups concentric with and encircling said shaft, and a plurality of cams for actuating said levers, each cam having a hub adjustably receivable in one of said cups.

3. A iinger-training device comprising movable keys, pivoted levers for actuating said keys, a shaft extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said levers, cams mounted upon said shaft for operating said levers, each of said cams being` adjustably rotatable about the axis of said shaft.

fl. A linger-training device comprising movable keys, pivoted levers for actuating said keys, a shaft extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said levers, cams mounted upon said shaft for operating said levers, each of said cams being adjustably rotatable about the axis of said shaft, and means for fastening each of said cams in adjusted position.

A linger-training device 4comprising movable keys, pivoted levers for actuating said keys, a shaft extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said levers, a plurality of cups concentric With and encircling said shaft, a plurality of cams for actuating said levers, each cam having a hub adjust-ablyreceivable in one of said cups, and means passing through said cups and engaging said hubs to fasten said cams in adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

IVILLIAM SCHMITT-MARCEL.

IVitnesses:

A. DE CLEA, PAUL DREY. 

